Special Photo
Team members of the Buckhead Braves 12-and-under team are, front, from left, David Shepherd, Jack Tracy, John Flor, Luke Jannetta, Billy Huger, Robert Malone, Davis Wilson, center, from left, David Milam, Nicholas Broadway, Lance Beck, Wilson Glasgow, Will Seiler, back, from left, James Wiley, head coach Daryl Weber and Bret White.

The Buckhead Braves 12-and-under travel ball team is saving its best for last.

The Braves won the Cal Ripken state tournament at the Buckhead Baseball facilities July 12 and 13 to advance to the Cal Ripken Southeast Region in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Thursday through Sunday.

The winner of the tournament advances to the Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, Md.,. Aug. 9 through 18.

“It was a fantastic performance,” Braves coach Daryl Weber said. “The team got together at the beginning of June, and it was great to see their progress each week. They really peaked at the state tournament.”

The Braves won the 12U division title with a two-game sweep of North Georgia Baseball Academy of Suwanee in the two-team tournament.

They came back from a 7-3 deficit to win the opening game 8-7, then won the second contest 17-0 to complete the sweep.

The Braves have played in four tournaments this summer, with a win in the consolation bracket of the East Cobb tournament being the main highlight prior to the Cal Ripken state competition.

Weber is pleased with the steady progress that his team has made over the summer.

“It’s fun to watch them develop from the first tournament, when we had only a couple of practices before, to now,” Weber said. “They’re getting better and better. The pitching, defensively and hitting — we’re getting better every week against some very tough competition.”

Now, the Braves will try to add a region championship to their list of accomplishment as they move on to the 12-team regionals, which features the Cal Ripken state champions from Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

“It’s going to be an extremely tough tournament,” Weber said. “We’re going to be playing the top teams from each state, but we’re prepared and ready to go.”

Team members are Lance Beck, Niko Broadway, John Flor, Wilson Glasgow, Billy Huger, Luke Jannetta, Robert Malone, David Milam, Will Seiler, David Shepherd, Jack Tracy and Davis Wilson.

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